Multi-vehicle retention grommet

ABSTRACT

A retention grommet has a bottom grommet and a top grommet. A floor cover retention flange extends radially outwardly from an outer sidewall of the bottom grommet. The outer sidewall extends upwardly from the retention flange to a hinge plane of the bottom grommet. Plural fingers are disposed around the bottom grommet axis so as to be angularly spaced from each other and an inner surface of the outer sidewall. An upper end of each finger is joined to the outer sidewall at the hinge plane. Near a free, downwardly displaced end of each finger, a retention bead is formed to have an upwardly and radially outwardly inclined surface. This surface engages a retention post of any of several vehicle foot well affixation devices, one of which is adapted to be affixed to a carpeted surface and another of which is adapted to be affixed to a smooth surface.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/812,663 filed Jul. 29, 2015, assigned to theassignee hereof. The specification and drawings of said application arefully incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicle floor covers, such as floor mats and floor trays, are commonlyavailable to protect the underlying vehicle carpeting and to facilitateremoval of water, dirt and debris from the foot wells of the vehicle.Due to the danger of interference with the gas and brake pedals, it isrecommended that at least the floor cover provided for the driver's sidebe secured in place within the foot well. Many vehicle manufacturerssecure their floor covers by employing retention posts, which areaffixed to the foot well, in combination with holes in the floor covers.Many of these studs or posts have a shaft of limited diameter thatterminates in an enlarged head.

Retention post sizes vary among makes and models of vehicles. Inaddition, a hole in a floor cover doesn't always provide the secure fitdesired for a floor cover. A grommet may be used to engage the retentionpost and floor cover in a tighter, more secure manner. A grommet thatfits many retention posts would be able to be used in multiple makes andmodels of vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a system for attaching a floorcover to a vehicle foot well includes a bottom grommet and a topgrommet. The bottom grommet is formed around an axis and has a floorcover retention flange that radially outwardly extends from the outersurface of an upstanding outer sidewall. The outer sidewall upwardlyextends to a hinge plane, which may be collocated with the top of theouter sidewall. The top or hinge plane of the bottom grommet may have anannulus that extends radially inwardly from the outer sidewall to aninner end of the hinge plane. Several fingers have respective upper endsthat join to the inner end of the annulus and extend downwardly torespective finger lower ends. Each finger has a bead near its lower endthat radially inwardly extends from a more general inner sidewallsurface of the finger. In combination with the other fingers, this beadis adapted to engage a vehicle foot well retention post head of any ofseveral types with an interference fit. A top grommet is provided thatfastens to an outer surface of the outer sidewall of the bottom grommet.The system further includes an affixation device that is adapted forattachment to a vehicle foot well. An upstanding retention post of theaffixation device is adapted to engage the fingers of the bottomgrommet. A lower surface of the affixation device may include aplurality of downwardly extending projections for engaging a carpetedfoot well surface, or may have an adhesive layer that is adapted to beaffixed to an uncarpeted surface of the vehicle foot well.

According to another aspect of the invention, a system for attaching avehicle floor cover to a vehicle foot well has a bottom grommet and atop grommet. The bottom grommet has an outer sidewall formed around anaxis. A floor cover retention flange radially outwardly extends from theouter surface of the outer sidewall. The outer sidewall extends axiallyupwardly from the retention flange to a top plane of the bottom grommet.The outer sidewall has an inner surface. Plural fingers, integrallyformed with the outer sidewall, are radially inwardly spaced from theinner surface of the outer sidewall, and are angularly spaced apart fromeach other. Each finger has a lower end axially and downwardly spacedfrom the top plane of the outer sidewall. Each finger has a beaddisposed near its lower end. Each bead has an innermost margin and aninclined surface which extends upwardly and outwardly from the innermostmargin of the bead to a general inner sidewall surface of the finger.This inclined surface is adapted to engage, with an interference fit,the enlarged heads of each of several types of retention posts. A topgrommet is adapted to fasten to the outer surface of the outer sidewallof the bottom grommet. The system further includes an affixation devicefor attachment to the vehicle foot well. A retention post stands up fromthe affixation device body and is adapted to engage the fingers of thebottom grommet. The affixation device may have a plurality ofprojections that extend downward from a lower surface of its body toengage a carpeted surface of the vehicle foot well, or may have anadhesive layer that is adapted to be affixed to a smooth surface of thevehicle foot well.

In either of the above embodiments, the bottom grommet may be furtherprovided with a plurality of spaced-apart vertical ribs. These ribs areangularly spaced around and are in alignment with the axis; eachvertical rib is disposed between neighboring fingers. The fingers haveinner sidewall surfaces that conform to an imaginary cylinder, adiameter of which is preselected to be larger than the largest type ofpost head that the grommet is designed to accommodate. The vertical ribseach extend, radially inwardly, from the inner surface of the bottomgrommet outer sidewall to the imaginary cylinder. These ribs resistlateral movement of the grommet relative to the retention post once thegrommet has been snapped over the post.

Alternatively or in addition, each finger of the bottom grommet may beprovided with a reinforcing rib that is aligned with the axis and thatextends from an inner surface of the outer sidewall of the bottomgrommet to an outer surface of the finger. An angular extent of thereinforcing rib, relative to the axis, is much smaller than an angularextent of the finger for which it is provided to brace, such as beingone-fourth or less of the angular extent of the finger proper.

A principal technical advantage of one embodiment of the invention isthat the inclined plane of each finger bead provides an extensivesurface, different points of which can engage different enlarged posthead structures with an interference fit. This in turn permits the useof the grommet with floor covers for many makes and models of vehicles.The provision of a single grommet for multiple vehicle types reduces theoverall manufacturing, tooling, research and development costs for thevehicle floor mats and trays fitted with the grommets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the invention and their advantages can be discernedin the following detailed description, in which like characters denotelike parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric exploded view showing a portion of a vehiclefloor cover, a bottom grommet, a vehicle foot well retention stud and aretention grommet cap (or top grommet);

FIG. 2 is a top isometric view of the bottom grommet shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom isometric view of the bottom grommet shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view, on a plane including a grommet axis, ofthe bottom grommet and top grommet as assembled;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, on a plane including the grommet axis, ofthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, shown as fastening a vehicle floorcover to a first vehicle floor cover retention post;

FIG. 5A is a simplified sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 5,of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, shown as fastening a vehicle floorcover to a second vehicle floor cover retention post;

FIG. 5B is a simplified sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 5A,of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, shown as fastening a vehicle floorcover to a third vehicle floor cover retention post;

FIG. 5C is a simplified sectional view similar to that shown in FIGS. 5Aand 5B, of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, shown as fastening avehicle floor cover to a fourth vehicle floor cover retention post;

FIG. 6 is top isometric view of a second embodiment of the bottomgrommet;

FIG. 7 is a top isometric view of the second embodiment of the bottomgrommet snapped over a vehicle floor cover retention post;

FIG. 8 is a bottom isometric view of a third embodiment of the bottomgrommet;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view, taken through axis X, of a furtherembodiment of the invention shown as assembled to a floor cover andengaging a carpet;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view, taken through axis X, of a fourthembodiment of the bottom grommet;

FIG. 11 is a bottom isometric view of a fourth embodiment of the bottomgrommet;

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view, taken through axis X, of a furtherembodiment of the invention shown as assembled to a floor cover andengaging a smooth surface in a vehicle foot well;

FIG. 13 is a bottom isometric view of a further embodiment of anaffixation device;

FIG. 14 is a bottom isometric view of a fifth embodiment of a bottomgrommet for use with the invention;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the bottom grommet shown in FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a side view of the bottom grommet shown in FIGS. 14 and 15,shown in a possible position that it could take while fitting thegrommet and an attached floor cover to a vehicle foot well post.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, the present invention provides a grommet thatengages any of several vehicle foot well retention posts or studs. Asseen in FIG. 1, grommets according to the invention have two components:a retention or bottom grommet 106 and a top grommet or cap 108. Aretention or bottom grommet 106 is axially aligned with a vehicle footwell retention post or stud 102, a portion of a vehicle floor cover 104,and a top grommet or cap 108. The vehicle floor cover retention stud 102protrudes through the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehiclecarpet 111 and is formed around an axis X. Axis X typically is verticalbut, in some vehicle foot wells, may be canted away from the vertical.Stud or post 102 may have an extensive base 109 that in use is disposedunderneath the OEM carpet layer 111.

The function of the vehicle floor cover 104 is to protect this OEMcarpet or surface 111, and provide an easy way for the vehicle owner tokeep the vehicle foot well clean; the owner (or other user, orattendant) removes the vehicle floor cover, washes it off, and replacesit in the foot well. The vehicle floor cover 104, which can be a floormat or a floor tray, has a floor cover retention hole 110 into which thebottom grommet 106 protrudes from below. Often there are two laterallyspaced-apart studs or posts and floor cover retention holes 110,typically located near the aft outboard and aft inboard corners of thefoot well and floor cover, but only a representative one of them isshown in FIGS. 1 and 5-5C.

The bottom grommet 106 may be integrally molded from a polymericmaterial, such as nylon or other suitable material. The bottom grommet106 engages an enlarged head 112 of the vehicle floor cover retentionstud or post 102. The vehicle floor cover retention stud 102 may havethe shape of the stud illustrated in FIG. 1, or may be of a myriad ofother shapes depending on the make and model of the vehicle; four suchshapes are shown in FIGS. 5-5C, discussed below. In the illustratedembodiment, the bottom grommet 106 extends through the floor coverretention hole 110 and a top grommet or cap 108 is attached to thebottom grommet 106, as by being snapped over the bottom grommet's outersidewall.

In the illustrated embodiments the top grommet 108 downwardly extendsthrough most or all of the retention hole 110, as will be hereinafterdescribed. The top grommet 108 may be integrally molded from a polymericmaterial, such as nylon, or other suitable material. In the illustratedembodiment the top grommet 108 has a solid top or cap 114 thatcompletely covers floor cover hole 110 and bottom grommet 106.Alternative embodiments of the top grommet 108 may have an open top orpartially open top.

As seen in FIG. 2, the bottom grommet 106 has an outer sidewall 202 withan outer surface 204. An annular engagement ridge 220, which can beorthogonal to axis X, extends radially outwardly from the outer surface204 of the bottom grommet outer sidewall 202. A floor cover retentionflange 206 radially outwardly extends from the outer surface 204 of theouter sidewall 202, and is downwardly spaced from the engagement ridge220. The outer sidewall 202 extends upwardly from the retention flange206 at least to a top or hinge plane 207 that is orthogonal to axis X.In the illustrated embodiments the bottom grommet outer sidewall 202 hasits upper end at plane 207, but in other embodiments the outer sidewall202 could continue upwardly beyond the hinge plane 207. In operation andin this embodiment, the outer sidewall 202 extends completely throughthe hole 110 in a vehicle floor cover 104, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5-5C.

A radially inwardly extending annulus 210 is disposed in the hinge plane207 and in the illustrated embodiment is formed to be at right angles tothe axis X. The annulus 210 extends from the inner surface 302 (see FIG.3) of the outer sidewall 202 to an annulus inner end 211. A plurality ofangularly spaced-apart fingers 208 are disposed around axis X, and arejoined to the inner end 211 of the annulus 210 by their respective upperends 214. In this illustrated embodiment there are six fingers 208 butother embodiments may have more or fewer fingers 208 and the fingers 208may differ in angular width (relative to axis X) from the widthillustrated. Further, while in the illustrated embodiment the angularwidth of the fingers is uniform, this does not have to be the case, andsome of the fingers 208 may have different angular widths than others.

Each finger 208 extends axially downwardly from its upper end 214 to alower end 212. Each finger 208 has an inner sidewall surface 218 that isin approximate alignment with axis X and may conform to an imaginaryright cylinder (not shown) around axis X. Each finger 208 flexes uponbeing pressed outwardly while camming past the enlarged head 112 of theretention post 102 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, most of thisflexure will occur in the vicinity of hinge plane 207, near where theupper end 214 of the finger 208 and the inner end 211 of the annulus 210meet.

Each finger 208 has a bead 216 which is close to the lower end 212 ofthe finger 208. The bead 216 extends radially inwardly from the generalinner sidewall surface 218 of the finger 208. The bead 216 has aninclined surface 222 which extends axially downwardly and radiallyinwardly from the inner sidewall surface 218 of the finger 208 to aninnermost margin 226 of the bead 216. A lower inclined surface 224 ofbead 216 may extend downwardly and outwardly from the innermost margin226 of the bead 216 to the lower end 212 of the finger 208. Inclinedsurfaces 222, 224 may be frustoconical as shown, or alternatively mayconform to other surfaces of rotation around axis X, or be planar. Thedistance between the inner sidewall surface 218 and the innermost margin226 of the bead 216 may be in the range of 1 mm to 1.75 mm, as measuredalong a radius which is at right angles to axis X. In the illustratedembodiment, the innermost margin 226 of the bead 216 extends radiallyinwardly approximately 1.25 mm from the inner sidewall surface 218. Thelower and upper inclined surfaces 224, 222 are at angles relative to theaxis X. The angle of upper inclined surface 222 may be in the range of30 to 60 degrees. In some embodiments the angle of inclined surface 222may be forty-five degrees. The angle of the terminating inclined surface224 may be in the range of 120 to 160 degrees, and may be chosen to be150 degrees.

The bead 216 is adapted to engage a vehicle floor cover retention postor stud 102 (See FIGS. 1 and 5-5C). The bead 216 is shaped such that itcan engage vehicle floor cover retention studs 102 of varied sizes andshapes, as will be discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 5-5C. Inalternative embodiments the bead 216 may have a shape other than the oneillustrated.

As seen in FIG. 3, the outer sidewall surface 304 of each finger 208 isopposed to the inner sidewall surface 218 of the finger 208. Surface 304is spaced from surface 302. The inner surface 302 of the outer sidewall202 extends from the floor cover retention flange 206 to the annulus210.

FIG. 4 is a section, taken substantially along a plane that includesaxis X, of the bottom grommet 106 as attached to the top grommet or cap108. The top grommet 108 has a downwardly extending sidewall 402 fromwhich an annular rib or latch 404 extends radially inwardly. The annularrib 404 of the top grommet 108 snaps over the engagement ridge 220 ofthe bottom grommet 106. In this manner, the top grommet 108 is securedto the bottom grommet 106. Alternative embodiments may have otherfeatures to aid in fastening the top grommet 108 to the bottom grommet106, such as snaps of shapes different from those shown, push-and-twistarrangements, or screw threads.

Each finger 208 must have room to flex. Therefore, the radial distance(“radial” being used herein as meaning a direction at right angles toaxis X) between the innermost margin 226 of the bead 216 and the generalinner sidewall surface 218 of finger 208 should be less than or equal tothe radial spacing between inner surface 302 of the outer sidewall 202and the outer sidewall surface 304 of finger 208. This spacing then willbe large enough to allow the complete outer radial displacement of thebead 216 as it cams past the retention post head 112. The radialthickness of the bead 216 from innermost margin 226 to the general innersidewall surface 218 of finger 208 can be selected from the range of 1to 3 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the bead 216 may be 1.25mm.

In the illustrated embodiment, each finger 208 has two sections: afirst, radial section 406, located within hinge plane 207, and a second,downwardly extending, axial section 408. The first section 406 extendsradially inwardly within hinge plane 207 until its junction with secondsection 408. The second section 408 downwardly depends from the innerend of first section 406. Alternatively, fingers 208 could be so formedthat they depend directly downwardly from annulus 210 without anyintervening radial finger section.

FIGS. 5-5C illustrate the bottom grommet 106 and top grommet 108 used inaffixing a vehicle floor cover 104 to each of several differently shapedvehicle retention studs 102. As seen in FIG. 5, the retention stud 102has an enlarged head 112 which is the uppermost part of the stud 102.The head 112 has a retention stud head wall 502 and, in the embodimentshown in FIG. 5, has a sloped transition wall 504. The head sits on topof a stem 506 which is narrower in diameter than the retention stud headwall 502.

The fingers 208 of the bottom grommet 106 engage the retention stud 102.As described above, the bead 216 of the finger 208 has an upper inclinedsurface 222 and a lower inclined surface 224. In the illustratedembodiment, the upper inclined surface 222 of the bead 216 is smallerthan the lower inclined surface 224 of the bead 216. Alternativeembodiments may have fingers 208 with beads 216 that have differentshapes and upper inclined surfaces 222 and lower inclined surfaces 224that have different lengths or angles than the bead 216 illustrated inFIGS. 5-5C. Upper inclined surfaces 222 are nonetheless large enough tooffer expanded loci of contact with the surfaces of different post heads112. The inclined surfaces 222 thus provide more adaptability of thegrommet to different retention posts 102.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper inclined surface 222 engages thetransition wall 504 of the retention stud 102. In this illustratedembodiment the slope of the upper inclined surface 222 and the slope ofthe transition wall 504 approximately match. In alternative embodimentsthe slopes may be different or may exactly match. The attachment of thebottom grommet 106 to the retention stud 102 is ensured when theinnermost margin 226 of the bead 216 extends inwardly such that theinner diameter of the bottom grommet 106 at that point is greater thanthe stem 506 diameter but less than the diameter of the retention studhead wall 502.

The slope of the lower inclined surface 224 is determined such that thebottom grommet 106 can cam over the retention post head 112, and so thata user can more easily index the bottom grommet to the post head 112.The fingers 208 flex substantially within hinge plane 207 when slidingover the retention post head 112, after which the fingers 208elastically return to their original position or, depending on the sizeof the engaged retention post stem 506, remain in a semi-flexedposition.

Also as seen in each of FIGS. 5-5C, the cap 108 has a downwardlydepending sidewall 508 with an outer sidewall surface 510. This outersidewall surface 510 fits within floor cover hole 110 and is the portionof the grommet 105 that bounds the hole 110.

FIG. 5 shows a retention post or stud 102 with a first profile. A top520 of the retention post is near a bottom surface 522 of the cap 108.The retention post head wall 502 is close to the general inner sidewallsurface 218 of the fingers 208. The angle of the transition wall 504approximately matches that of inclined surface 222, and is about twiceas long. The diameter of stem 506 is considerably less than the innerdiameter of bottom grommet 106 as measured across the innermost beadmargins 226.

FIG. 5A shows grommet 105 as affixing a vehicle floor cover 104 to aretention post 530 that has a profile that is different from retentionpost 102. The diameter of the enlarged head 532 of the post 530 issmaller than that of post 102. The inclined surface 222 of the bead 216is nonetheless long enough to engage post inclined wall 534 in aninterference fit. A top wall 536 of the post 530 is also not as high asthe top wall 520 of retention post 102.

In FIG. 5B, a retention post 540 is seen that has a significantlythicker stem 542. The diameter of stem 542 is about the same as thebottom grommet minimum inner diameter measured across innermost beadmargins 226. Grommet 105 can even accommodate posts with stems that arethicker than this, so long as there is a significant difference in thediameter of the post head and that of the post stem. The position ofsloped sidewall 544 and top wall 546 are similar to those for retentionpost 102.

The retention post 550 seen in FIG. 5C has no inclined transition wallbetween its head 552 and its stem 554. Instead, the vertical wall 556 ofthe head 552 terminates at an abrupt corner 558. A horizontal surface560 extends from this corner 558 to a sidewall 562 of the post stem 554.The inclined surface 222 engages with corner 558 to retain the floorcover 104 on the post 550. The inclined surface 222 is extensive enoughthat it can snap past lower post head corners at various positions, andstill retain the grommeted floor cover on the post.

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment 600 of the bottom grommet. Inthis embodiment, relatively small (in terms of their angular widthrelative to axis X) guide ribs 602 are interleaved between the fingers208. In this embodiment there is one small guide rib 602 between eachpair of adjacent fingers 208 but alternative embodiments may have guideribs 602 in fewer spaces and the guide ribs 602 may have widths andheights different from those shown. Specifically alternative embodimentsmay have three guide ribs 602 interleaved between a subset of thefingers 208. The guide ribs 602 are elongate and aligned with axis X,and are attached along their outer axial ends to the inner surface 302of the outer sidewall 202. The general inner sidewall surfaces 218 ofthe fingers 208 each conform to an imaginary cylinder, which is slightlylarger than the diameter of the largest post head 112 that the bottomgrommet 106 is designed to receive, as shown in FIG. 7. The guide orsupport ribs 602 extend radially inwardly to stop at this same imaginarycylinder. The guide ribs 602 are not designed to flex, and theytherefore are more resistant to the lateral displacement of the floorcover 104 (and of the bottom grommet 106 installed therein) relative tothe retention post head 112.

A third embodiment 800 of a bottom grommet is illustrated in FIG. 8. Asshown, the bottom grommet 800 has small guide ribs 802 and small crossribs 804. Each cross rib 804 extends from the inner surface 302 of theouter sidewall 202 to the outer sidewall surface 304 of the respectivefinger 208. An angular width of each cross rib 304 (relative to axis X)is much smaller than the angular width of the finger 208 that itsupports. For example, the angular width of the cross rib 304 can beone-fourth or less of the angular width of the finger 208. Each crossrib downwardly depends from annulus 210 (not shown; see FIG. 4) for apredetermined distance that may be less than the axial length of thefinger 208 that it supports. The cross ribs 804 are behind each finger208 to increase flex strength and help provide lateral support againstthe head of the vehicle floor cover retention stud 102. In thisembodiment there is one small guide rib 802 in between each finger andone cross rib 804 behind each finger 208 but alternative embodiments mayhave guide ribs 802 and cross ribs 804 in fewer spaces and the guideribs 802 and cross ribs 804 may have varied widths and heights or onesdifferent from those shown.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the fingers 208 will flex around apost head 112 in a way that is different than the flexure of theembodiments described above. As the fingers 208 cam over the post head112, they will have more of a tendency to radially outwardly displace orstretch as a unit and will hingedly flex less. Such hinged flexure asdoes occur will more be more be likely to occur along that length of thefinger 208 that is not supported or braced by a cross rib 804.Otherwise, the fingers 208 will expand as a combined hoop and thus thehoop strength of the outer sidewall 202 comes more into play. Each crossrib 804 can also be made thin enough that it will bow or tangentiallydisplace under radial force imparted by the post head, allowing more ofa hinged flexure of the finger 208 that it supports.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a bottom grommet 106 and top grommet108 are assembled to clad a hole in a floor cover 104, and snapped overthe post or stud 102 of a vehicle carpet affixation device 902. Theaffixation device 902 has a body 924 that may be formed of nylon oranother suitable polymer compound. The device 902 has a first, lowerface 922 and a second, upper face 920, both planar and substantially atright angles to axis X. The body 924 is thin, relative to the entireheight of the affixation device 902, and flat, and may have a circular,square, rectangular, or hexagonal marginal shape or any other shapewhich produces commercially acceptable results. In the illustratedembodiment the lateral margin of the device body 924 is spaced from axisX by a radius which is many times that of the radius of head wall 908 orstem 914.

Many projections 904 downwardly extend from the first face 922 inparallel with the axis X. In this embodiment, the projections 904 arearranged in linear rows and have a triangular base and are pyramidal inshape. The projections 904 in the illustrated embodiment are spikes.Other embodiments may have projections that are different shapes and/orhave bases of different shapes, such that the projections aresubstantially circular cones or rectangular pyramids. The projections904 bite into the pile of the carpeting of the foot well floor whichprevents the device 902, and the grommets 106, 108 and floor cover 104attached to it, from moving.

As seen in FIG. 9, the affixation device 902 has a horizontally enlargedhead 906. In this embodiment the enlarged head 906 has an upwardlyconcave top 912, chosen for moldability. Other embodiments may have flattops or hollow tops. The head 906 has a head wall 908 that is circularlycylindrical and centered on axis X. The head 906 sits on top of acylindrical stem 914 which is narrower in diameter than the head wall908. In this embodiment, a sloped frustoconical transition surface orwall 910 proceeds upwardly and outwardly from an upper end of the outersurface of stem 914 to a lower end of the head wall 908.

The fingers 208 of the bottom grommet 106 engage the retention stud 102.As described above, the bead 216 of each finger 208 has an upperinclined surface 222 and a lower inclined surface 224. In theillustrated embodiment, the upper inclined surface 222 of the bead 216is smaller than the lower inclined surface 224 of the bead 216. Lowerinclined surface 224 may be oriented at about 150 degrees from axis X.Upper inclined surface 222 may be oriented at about 45 degrees from axisX. Alternative embodiments may have fingers 208 with beads 216 that havedifferent shapes and upper inclined surfaces 222 and lower inclinedsurfaces 224 that have different lengths or angles. As illustrated inFIG. 9, the upper inclined surface 222 engages with the affixationdevice head 906.

As shown in FIG. 9, the upper inclined surface 222 engages thetransition wall 910 of the affixation device 902. In this illustratedembodiment the slope of the upper inclined surface 222 and the slope ofthe transition wall 910 at least approximately match. In alternativeembodiments the slopes may be different. The attachment of the bottomgrommet 106 to the retention stud 102 is ensured when the innermostmargin 226 of the bead 216 extends inwardly such that the inner diameterof the bottom grommet 106 at that point is greater than the stem 914diameter but less than the diameter of the retention stud head wall 908.

The slope of the lower inclined surface 224 is determined such that thebottom grommet 106 can cam over the retention post head 906, and so thata user can more easily index the bottom grommet to the post head 906.The fingers 208 flex substantially at horizontal hinge plane 207 whensliding over the retention post head 112, after which the fingers 208elastically return to their original position or, depending on the sizeof the engaged retention post stem 914, remain in a semi-flexedposition.

A fourth embodiment 1000 of a bottom grommet is illustrated in FIG. 10.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the fingers 1019 are thicker than inthe embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-9; the fingers have a greaterdistance between the inner sidewall surface 1006 and the outer sidewallsurface 1004. In addition, each finger is thicker between the top orhinge plane 1020 and the uppermost inner surface 1022. The additionalmaterial added to the fingers 1019 will increase the thickness andstrength of the fingers 1019, will decrease their displacement under anyforce acting radially, and will increase their stiffness or springconstant. While the embodiment in FIG. 10 shows the fingers 1019 withoutbeing interleaved with centering ribs, interleaving centering ribs couldalso be provided in a manner similar to that shown for FIG. 11 below.

In FIG. 11 the bottom grommet 1100 has six centering ribs 1102. Otherembodiments may have a different number of centering ribs 1102. Thecentering ribs 1102 are positioned between adjacent ones of the fingers1106. In the illustrated embodiment there is a single centering rib 1102in between each adjacent pair of fingers 1106. Other embodiments mayhave a different number of centering ribs 1102. The positioning of thecentering ribs 1102 protects the fingers 1106 from breakage whenattaching the bottom grommet 1100 to a vehicle floor cover retentionpost or stud 102 (see FIG. 1). The post (112 on FIG. 1) can slide alongthe centering ribs 1102 during consumer installation. A bottom edge 1112of each centering rib 1102 can terminate in the horizontal planeoccupied by a lower surface 1104 of the bottom grommet flange 1114.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a bottom grommet 106 and top grommet108 are assembled to clad a hole in a floor cover 104, and snapped overthe head or stud 102 of a vehicle carpet affixation device 1201. Theaffixation device 1201 has a body 1206 that may be formed of nylon oranother suitable polymer compound. The device 1201 has a first, lowerface 1218 and a second, upper face 1220, both planar and substantiallyat right angles to axis X. The body 1206 is thin, relative to the entireheight of the affixation device 1201, and flat, and may have a circular,square, rectangular, or hexagonal marginal shape or any other shapewhich produces commercially acceptable results. In the illustratedembodiment the lateral margin of the device body 1206 is spaced fromaxis X by a radius which is many times that of the radius of head wall1208 or stem 1214.

The affixation device 1201 illustrated in FIG. 12 is used onnon-carpeted vehicle foot wells 1204 such as ones finished in vinyl orpainted metal. The affixation device 1201 (see FIG. 13) has an adhesivelayer 1202 that is attached to the lower face 1218 of the affixationdevice body 1206. In the illustrated embodiment the adhesive layer 1202has a smaller diameter than the affixation device body 1206 but otherembodiments may have an adhesive layer 1202 that has an identicaldiameter as the affixation device body 1206 or a different shape ordiameter than illustrated. Adhesive layer 1202 may be constituted by afoam core having opposed adhesive surfaces, and a bottom surface of theadhesive layer 1202 may be protected by a peel-off release layer (notshown) prior to its adhesion by a consumer or user to a top smoothsurface of vehicle foot well 1204.

As seen in FIG. 12, the affixation device 1201 has a horizontallyenlarged head 1216. In this embodiment the enlarged head 1216 has anupwardly concave top 1212, chosen for moldability. Other embodiments mayhave flat tops or hollow tops. The head 1216 has a head wall 1208 thatis circularly cylindrical and centered on axis X. The head 1216 sits ontop of a cylindrical stem 1214 which is narrower in outer diameter thanthe head wall 1208. In this embodiment, a sloped frustoconicaltransition surface or wall 1210 proceeds upwardly and outwardly from anupper end of the outer surface of stem 1214 to a lower end of the headwall 1208.

The fingers 208 of the bottom grommet 106 engage the retention stud orpost 1222. As described above, the bead 216 of each finger 208 has anupper inclined surface 222 and a lower inclined surface 224. In theillustrated embodiment, the upper inclined surface 222 of the bead 216is smaller than the lower inclined surface 224 of the bead 216. Lowerinclined surface 224 may be oriented at about 150 degrees from axis X.Upper inclined surface 222 may be oriented at about 45 degrees from axisX. Alternative embodiments may have fingers 208 with beads 216 that havedifferent shapes and upper inclined surfaces 222 and lower inclinedsurfaces 224 that have different lengths or angles. As illustrated inFIG. 12, the upper inclined surface 222 engages with the affixationdevice head 1216.

As shown in FIG. 12, the upper inclined surface 222 engages thetransition wall 1210 of the affixation device post 1222. In thisillustrated embodiment the slope of the upper inclined surface 222 andthe slope of the transition wall 1210 at least approximately match. Inalternative embodiments the slopes may be different. The attachment ofthe bottom grommet 106 to the retention stud 1222 is ensured when theinnermost margin 226 of the bead 216 extends inwardly such that theinner diameter of the bottom grommet 106 at that point is greater thanthe stem 1214 diameter but less than the diameter of the retention studhead wall 1208.

The slope of the lower inclined surface 224 is determined such that thebottom grommet 106 can cam over the retention post head 1216, and sothat a user can more easily index the bottom grommet to the post head1216. The fingers 208 flex substantially at horizontal hinge plane 207when sliding over the retention post head 112, after which the fingers208 elastically return to their original position or, depending on thesize of the engaged retention post stem 1214, remain in a semi-flexedposition. Affixation device 1201 may be used with any combination ofbottom and top grommets illustrated or described herein.

FIG. 13 illustrates the adhesive layer 1202 on the lower face 1218 ofthe affixation body 1206. The adhesive layer 1202 almost completelycovers the lower face 1218 in this embodiment. Other embodiments mayhave adhesive layers 1202 of different dimensions or shapes as long asthey produce commercially acceptable results.

A bottom grommet 1400 is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 that may be used withany of the top grommets and affixation devices above described. Thedarker color of certain components of the grommet 1400 showmodifications from the bottom grommet 106 as shown in FIG. 3; thegrommet 1400 preferably is molded as a single piece. Similar to theembodiment shown in FIG. 11, a centering rib 1402 is disposed in betweeneach pair of fingers 1404. Each centering rib 1402 is vertically alignedwith the axis of the grommet 1400. A thickness of each centering rib1402 is less than the radial spacing between adjacent fingers 1404. Eachcentering rib 1402 is integrally molded with the outer sidewall 1406 ofthe bottom grommet 1400, so as to radially inwardly extend from theinner cylindrical surface 1408 of the grommet sidewall 1406.

Fingers 1404 are similar to fingers 1106 as seen in FIG. 11. Each finger1404 terminates in a bead 1410 that has a radial inner margin 1412. Eachbead 1410 has a pair of inclined surfaces 1414 and 1416 that are similarto inclined surfaces 1008, 1012 described in conjunction with FIG. 10.Each centering rib 1402 has an inner vertical surface or margin 1418that is disposed on an imaginary cylindrical surface spaced radiallyinwardly from surface 1408 of grommet sidewall 1406, but disposedradially outwardly from the position of the bead inner vertical surfaces1412 that they occupy in an unflexed condition. Axially, each centeringrib 1402 can extend from the plane occupied by lower surface 1420 ofbottom grommet flange 1422, to the top end of the grommet sidewall 1406.A lower surface 1424 of each centering rib 1402 may be joined to theinner vertical surface 1418 thereof through a curved transition 1426.Instead of terminating at the plane occupied by lower surface 1420, eachsurface 1424 may instead terminate at the lower surface 1427 of a ring1429, where surface 1427 occupies a plane below bottom surface 1420.

Each finger 1404 has associated therewith one or more guard ribs 1428that are disposed radially outwardly from an outer cylindrical sidewall1430 of the finger 1404. Each guard rib 1428 projects radially inwardlyfrom the inner surface 1408 of the grommet sidewall 1406. An innersurface or margin 1432 of each guard rib 1428 is spaced from the outercylindrical sidewall 1430 of the finger 1404 with which it isassociated. A bottom margin or surface 1434 of each guard rib 1428 canbe coplanar with flange lower surface 1420 or, as shown, can be coplanarwith lower surface 1427 of ring 1429. Each guard rib extends axiallyupwardly from surface 1434 until its termination at and fusion with alower surface of a hinge element of the finger 1404 (similar to surface1022 as seen in FIG. 10).

In the illustrated embodiment, guard ribs 1428 are about as thick ascentering ribs 1402. In the illustrated embodiment, three guard ribs1428 are provided for each finger 1404 and are arranged around the axisso as to be equally spaced from each other and from adjacent centeringribs 1402. The number, placement and spacing of the guard ribs 1428 maybe varied as other design constraints dictate. The thickness or angularextent of each guard rib 1428 is less than the spacing between it and aneighboring guard rib 1428 or centering rib 1402.

FIG. 16 shows a grommet 1400 in a canted position relative to a vehiclemat retention post 1600. Grommet 1400 can take this position as affixedto a mat or floor tray (not shown), and as it is being lowered onto thepost 1600. In this position and without the provision of guard ribs1428, one or more of the fingers 1404 may catch onto the head 1602 ofthe post 1600, causing them to flex inwardly toward the axis andinadvertently to be bent over or even break off during mat installation.Each group of guard ribs 1428 prevents or least limits the post head1602 from contacting radial outward surfaces of the associated finger1404.

In summary, embodiments of a vehicle floor cover grommet have been shownand described which can accommodate each of a variety of differentvehicle foot well retention posts.

While illustrated embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed and illustrated in the appended drawings, the presentinvention is not limited thereto but only by the scope and spirit of theappended claims.

1. A system for attaching a floor cover to a vehicle foot well, thesystem comprising: a bottom grommet, an outer sidewall of the bottomgrommet formed around an axis and having an outer surface and an innersurface, a floor cover retention flange of the bottom grommet joined tothe outer sidewall and radially outwardly extending from the outersurface of the outer sidewall, the outer sidewall of the bottom grommetextending axially upwardly from the retention flange to a hinge plane ofthe bottom grommet; an annulus disposed in the hinge plane of the bottomgrommet and radially inwardly extending from the outer sidewall of thebottom grommet to an inner end of the annulus; a plurality of fingersdisposed around the axis to be angularly spaced apart from each other,an upper end of each finger joined to the inner end of the annulus sothat the annulus spaces said upper end from the inner surface of theouter sidewall, each finger extending axially downwardly from the upperend of the finger to a lower end of the finger and having an innersidewall surface disposed between the upper and lower finger ends thatis in alignment with the axis; for each finger, a bead formed proximateto the lower end of the finger and radially inwardly extending from theinner sidewall surface of the finger, the bead adapted to engage any ofa plurality of differently shaped, predetermined vehicle foot wellretention post heads with an interference fit; each finger having anouter surface facing the inner surface of the outer sidewall of thebottom grommet, the bottom grommet further including, for each finger, avertical rib radially extending from the inner surface of the outersidewall to the outer surface of the finger, an angular width, relativeto the axis, of the vertical rib being less than or equal to one-fourthof a corresponding angular width of the finger; a top grommet, adownwardly extending sidewall of the top grommet adapted to fasten tothe outer surface of the outer sidewall of the bottom grommet; and anaffixation device adapted for attachment to a vehicle foot well, theaffixation device having an affixation device body with an upper surfaceand a lower surface, a floor cover retention post upwardly extendingfrom the upper surface of the affixation device body and adapted toengage the fingers of the bottom grommet.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the affixation device is adapted to be affixed to carpeting, aplurality of projections extend from the lower surface of the affixationdevice body, each projection spaced from adjacent projections, theprojections forming a two-dimensional array.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the affixation device is adapted to be affixed to an uncarpetedsurface of the vehicle foot well, an adhesive layer attached to andextending downwardly from the lower surface of the affixation devicebody.
 4. A system for attaching a floor cover to a vehicle foot well,the system comprising: a bottom grommet, an outer sidewall of the bottomgrommet formed around an axis and having an inner surface and an outersurface, a floor cover retention flange of the bottom grommet joined tothe outer sidewall and radially outwardly extending from the outersurface of the outer sidewall, the outer sidewall extending axiallyupwardly from the retention flange to a top plane of the bottom grommet;a plurality of fingers formed around the axis to be angularly spacedfrom each other, each finger radially inwardly spaced from the innersurface of the outer sidewall, an inner sidewall surface of each fingerdisposed on an imaginary cylinder aligned with the axis, the fingersintegrally formed with the outer sidewall of the bottom grommet; eachfinger having a lower end axially downwardly spaced from the top planeof the outer sidewall, each finger having a bead, an inner end of thebead disposed radially inwardly from the inner sidewall surface of thelast said finger and disposed near the lower end of the finger, eachbead having an innermost margin that is disposed closest to the axis, aninclined surface of the bead extending upwardly and outwardly from theinnermost margin of the bead to terminate at the inner sidewall surfaceof the finger; each finger having an outer surface facing the innersurface of the outer sidewall of the bottom grommet, the bottom grommetfurther including, for each finger, a vertical rib radially extendingfrom the inner surface of the outer sidewall to the outer surface of thefinger, an angular width, relative to the axis, of the vertical ribbeing less than or equal to one-fourth of a corresponding angular widthof the finger; a top grommet, a downwardly extending sidewall of the topgrommet adapted to attach to the outer surface of the outer sidewall ofthe bottom grommet; and an affixation device adapted for attachment to avehicle foot well, the affixation device having an affixation devicebody with an upper surface and a lower surface, a floor cover retentionpost upwardly extending from the upper surface of the affixation devicebody and adapted to engage the fingers of the bottom grommet.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the affixation device is adapted to beaffixed to carpeting, a plurality of projections extend from the lowersurface of the affixation device body, each projection spaced fromadjacent projections, the projections forming a two-dimensional array.6. The system of claim 4, wherein the affixation device is adapted to beaffixed to an uncarpeted surface of the vehicle foot well, an adhesivelayer attached to and extending downwardly from the lower surface of theaffixation device body.
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled) 10.The system of claim 4, wherein at least one guide rib radially extendsfrom the inner surface of the outer sidewall of the bottom grommet, theguide rib positioned in between adjacent fingers, a thickness of theguide rib being less than the radial spacing between two adjacentfingers, an inner margin of the guide rib being spaced radiallyoutwardly from the innermost margin of the bead.